Leadership is a property that has no limits. It requires constant self-improvement as it’s closely related to interpersonal interaction. For a good business leader, lifelong education is a must if they want to be surrounded by true followers. Go on reading to get a few leadership tips from world-renowned resources.

Moving Beyond Likability: 5 Principles For Women Leaders That Men Can Learn From Too

Hanna Hart suggests dwelling upon the problem a lot of women having influential business positions still face: likability. It means that women, even those managing huge corporations, are always assessed by their appearance and behavior according to social stereotypes, not by their expertise.

The author presents some leadership tips that will be helpful not only for women but also for men:

  • influence instead of controlling;
  • establish trustworthy relations;
  • keep your word and be sincere;
  • don’t take anything to heart;
  • don’t be humble against your authority. 

One Employee Question That Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore

In his article for Gallup, Chris Musser suggests that every leader should be ready to answer a simple but significant question “Why do you do what you do?” and let their employees know it. If workers don’t know or don’t understand the mission of the company, their effectiveness will be low, they won’t be creative and their efforts will be limited to performing routine daily tasks. 

Communicating the real purpose of the company to employees helps to address three challenges at once: make them work like a well-oiled machine – for reaching a common goal; improve the connection with workers and make them see their perspectives this way; and finally, purpose-driven companies receive much better results as compared to their competitors.

Balancing the Company’s Needs and Employee Satisfaction

Ron Carucci touches upon the problem of employees’ unhappiness. The author is sure that instead of blaming themselves leaders should implement changes to make their subordinates feel valued and help them connect their personal goals to the company’s needs. People will do their best at their workplaces if their sense of purpose corresponds with what they’re doing for the company. Besides, workers having lower positions want to participate in the company’s activities to feel the part of the great team. So, be transparent, give your people what they need, and their gratitude will reflect in the results of their work.

Leadership Is Not a Benefit to Yourself but an Obligation to Others

Martin Zwilling shared the insights from the book by John Mattone entitled “The Intelligent Leader” stating that people aren’t born to be leaders and a leadership title doesn’t empower a person with excellent leadership skills.

The author provides the following principles for business leaders:

  • focus on the prospect, not just on a certain issue, and suggest your followers do the same;
  • don’t be afraid of vulnerability, transparency is what others appreciate;
  • think about your duties instead of dwelling upon your advantages; don’t grudge your time to think through;
  • keep enhancing your course throughout your leadership. 

Take 5: What Business Leaders Can Learn from the Military

Emily Stone shares the insights from a series of interviews with army colonels highlighting tips that can be taken from the military field into the civic environment in general and business in particular. According to the interview results, leaders should learn the following things: 

  • encouraging people of different ages, especially millennials, for work by applying different approaches; 
  • making your employees understand their subordinates’ and their boss’s needs to be efficient as team members; 
  • motivate your team for better engagement and creativity by asking strategic questions instead of giving orders. 

Besides, one of the colonels suggests that employees can influence their superiors without alienating them, e.g. by setting their good examples or asking probing questions. And finally, the author notes that hiring veterans as leaders is a good idea for a couple of reasons: rich leadership experience, better performance under stressful conditions, and the ability to take constructive criticism.

Leadership Mindsets for the New Economy

The paper published by Douglas A. Ready highlights the results of the research that involved 4,000+ managers and C-executives aiming to comprehend the correlation between a changing world and a leadership mindset. 

Mindset is a mental map that manages a person’s social behavior. According to the outcomes, there are 4 leadership mindsets capable of changing the economy: producers, investors, connectors, and explorers. Read the article to find out what your mindset is. 

Learn How to be a Collaborative Leader

Written by Dan Maccarthy, this article reveals the importance of establishing collaborative relations for a leader who takes care of the organization they’re responsible for. According to the author, a truly collaborative leader is the one who is not ashamed of not having all the answers, ready for accepting their mistakes, able to listen to others, open to establishing trustful relationships, have respect for promises. Besides, collaborative leaders encourage everyone to participate in discussions as they appreciate other people’s ideas, though they are ready to make a final decision taking into account the company’s and employees’ interests, and capable of resolving conflicts in a company.     

What challenges out of these 7 papers are familiar to you? Share your pains and insights in the comment section below.